the war winds down. nixon moves to end the war henry kissinger was appointed special assistant for...
TRANSCRIPT
The War Winds Down
Nixon Moves to End the War
• Henry Kissinger was appointed special assistant for national affairs.
• He started a policy called linkage
– Improvement in USSR/China relations to persuade them to cut back their assistance to N Vietnam.
Nixon Moves to End the War
• Nixon began cutting the number of troops in Vietnam
• Vietnamization– http://www.history.com/topics/vietnamization
Turmoil at Home Continues
• November 1969, the American media reported that a US platoon had massacred more than 200 unarmed civilians in My Lai– http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/vietnam/trenche
s/my_lai.html
• This increased the feelings that the war was brutal and senseless
A Rise in Protests
• In May 1970, at Kent State University, the Ohio National Guard opened fire on students protesting.
– 4 were killed
The Pentagon Papershttp://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/450326/Pentagon-Papers
• In 1970, Congress repealed the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution
• In 1971 the Pentagon Papers were leaked to the public
The Pentagon Papers
• Showed that many government officials had privately questioned the war while publically defending it.
• Proved that the government had not been honest with the American people.
The United States Pulls Out of Vietnam
• Nixon won re-election in 1971– Peace talks soon followed
• S Vietnam reluctantly agreed to allow N Vietnamese soldiers to remain in the South.
The United States Pulls Out of Vietnam
• January 27, 1973 an agreement is signed to end the war.
• The US agreed to withdraw all troops– Our direct involvement
in Vietnam was over.
North Takes South
• March 1975, shortly after US troops pulled out of Vietnam, the N Vietcong launched a full-scale invasion of the South
• President Ford asked Congress for funds to help, but Congress refused
North Takes South
• April 30, 1975: North Vietnam captures Saigon (South Vietnamese capital)
The Legacy of Vietnam
• $170 Billion spent• 58,000 US casualties• 300,000 injured• Over 1 million N and S Vietnamese soldiers
and civilians dead• Many Americans saw the war as a defeat
The War Powers Acthttp://www.nytimes.com/1984/03/29/world/how-war-powers-act-works.html
• Passed in 1973
• Required: – the president to notify Congress of any
commitment of troops within 48 hours
– And to withdraw troops in 60-90 days unless Congress approved the commitment.
Aftermath
• Americans became reluctant to involve the US in affairs of other nations
• Government cynicism greatly increased